


The Last Night

by DGCatAniSiri



Series: James Vega Romance [9]
Category: Mass Effect - All Media Types, Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-19
Updated: 2020-08-19
Packaged: 2021-03-06 00:33:30
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,737
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25984429
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DGCatAniSiri/pseuds/DGCatAniSiri
Summary: James comes to Shepard as the Normandy flies back towards Earth.
Relationships: Male Shepard/James Vega
Series: James Vega Romance [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/216149
Kudos: 10





	The Last Night

James was surprised how fast he’d gone from ‘casually interested and mildly attracted’ to Commander Shepard (with a few dollops of outright hero worship, he wasn’t ashamed to admit – the man had saved the Citadel then stopped the Collectors at their home base, if Shepard didn’t meet the terms for being considered a hero, no one did) to ‘stupid in love’ with the man. It wasn’t the rank or the myth that had brought James to this point, either. 

Shepard had done more to show that he truly cared and was concerned for James than he’d really even imagined anyone ever would. There was a war on, and Shepard had still taken the time to help James get back on his feet after that bastard Kai Leng had stabbed him, left him for dead. Listened to him as he’d brought up feelings that he’d resisted talking about, even – ESPECIALLY – to the various Alliance shrinks who’d declared him fit for duty again after Fehl Prime. More than listened, even – related, understood. James had been scarred by conflict, like Shepard, and in ways that weren’t physical. He understood. 

That was why James had made his way, unprompted, to Shepard’s cabin. After their time on the Cerberus Station, the files EDI had shown them of his reassembly by the Lazarus Project... 

Part of James simply wanted to go to Shepard, acknowledge that this might be their last night before the Reapers, and, if the worst happened... he wanted to go out having made love to Shepard, at least once. Having had the chance to be with the man he loved, who loved him. 

But this wasn’t about him or his needs. It was going to be about Shepard. Because after what they’d seen in those records...

If it were James, he’d probably be questioning if he was even human after that. With the fight against the Reapers about to hit the final phase, the point where it’d be make or break for Team Milky Way, Shepard needed his head as clear as possible. 

He rapped on the door, unsure if he would get a response, given what Shepard had seen there. Sure, Shepard was probably the strongest person he’d ever met, but... Maybe the questions that had come up were the kind that undermined his identity. It was possible – at this point, James knew that it was entirely possible that, with all the weight and pressure on Shepard specifically, something hitting him in that sensitive spot might well be all it took to make him crumble. 

More than that, though, James loved Shepard. So if Shepard needed a comforting shoulder at this point, he’d provide. And, if he didn’t... Well, James could probably use one himself. They were going to head back to Earth as soon as possible. The assault on Cerberus was their committing action. This time tomorrow, they’d be in the midst of the final fight.

James could be cocky, but even he recognized... That was not a fight they had anything resembling a guarantee of victory. Indeed, based on the numbers of the Reapers, it was a good chance that, Crucible or not, whatever it did, however it dealt with the Reapers, it wouldn’t be enough. He didn’t want to live by that idea, of course, there was always a chance so long as you were willing to fight for it, but... Well, he was realistic enough to know where the lines were.

Finally, the door opened. Shepard was in his duty uniform, though it looked rather rumpled, as if Shepard had hastily thrown it on – back on, more like, considering that there was little chance of it being anything but the one he’d come up here in.

“James.” Despite the obvious exhaustion he had to be feeling, Shepard smiled at him. A good sign there. “Something you need?”

“Thought you could use some company. After what we saw on that station... I wouldn’t want to be alone right now.” James could have bulled Shepard, made some lousy excuse for what brought him here, but... Well, if ever there were a time for honesty, the night before the apocalypse probably counted as it.

It looked for a moment like Shepard would protest, try to downplay the reaction he clearly had to the things they’d seen in the Cerberus base. But then he let out a sigh, and it was like his whole body sagged. “It wasn’t easy. They were talking about me as a slab of meat. As something... less than human. And... the way they talked, I’m actually surprised I’m even alive to think about it. I WAS dead. Somehow... that never seemed real before. Like I’d only actually been in some kind of deep, traumatic coma.”

That was one of those things that had never really been on the list of things James could wrap his head around. Cerberus had brought Shepard back from the dead. Whatever science had been behind that was never going to be feasible on a regular basis – no one would go to those lengths to bring back James Vega. No one would do that for any of the lost in this war, even if there were bodies to recover, something that was harder and harder as the fighting got worse – people who weren’t made into husks were vaporized by the Reapers’ massive laser beams, or whatever the technical term was for them. 

Shepard was worth every penny and then some, of course, but... It was kinda terrifying the way that someone had decided to actually put in that investment. That he’d been reduced to a slab of meat and tubes, and it was decided to do what science and nature said was not possible and make it a man again. Moreover, that it had worked. 

“Can’t even imagine,” James said. The realization that someone really had done that to him – he couldn’t say it was done ‘for’ him, since it had been something Shepard hadn’t even been in a position to ask about – had to be one of those things that really knocked you off your axis. Which, yeah, had been why James had come here in the first place, but still... It was one of those things that you never really fully could get your mind wrapped around. 

“I don’t even really know if I’ve managed to start accepting it,” Shepard murmured. He sighed and moved, indicating that James should join him in his quarters. Having deep conversations in the transition space between the elevator and his door was a little awkward. 

James felt his mind comparing things to the last time they’d had a conversation here. When he’d told Shepard about Fehl Prime, the worst day of his life. Or at least, what had been prior to the invasion – at that point, it was something of a sliding scale. Now, here they were, with their positions reversed, Shepard dealing with the scars of something beyond his ability to fully process, and James offering him that release, that outlet for the pain and difficulty that he was struggling with. And... James wasn’t sure he could come up with something to fully grasp the situation. 

Well, he had to do something. The man he loved, the man who’d been there for him, multiple times now, considering the talk of Fehl Prime and the aftermath of James’s brush with death on Thessia, needed someone to unburden himself to. James was, at heart, a tactile person. He’d managed to scale that back some as he’d dealt with the structure of the Alliance military, considering how many of his COs had pointed out both the impropriety of randomly touching other members without direct authorization – no matter the context – and the multitude of other species who could take a casual and friendly touch and take it to mean some kind of insult, because he’d misread social cues.

But, under the circumstances – Shepard being human and the both of them long past considering any fraternization taboos – James just let himself be guided by instinct. Instinct told him to go to Shepard and pull him close. 

The act seemed to surprise Shepard, but he at least could recognize what James was trying to do. After a moment, he started to relax into the embrace. 

“I can’t say it’ll be all right or okay. But... Shepard, whatever else, you have me here, you know? I’m not goin’ anywhere. And... I don’t care if you’re some meat puppet with a VI powering it or the real deal... To me, you’re you. And I love you. What we saw on that station doesn’t change that. Couldn’t change it. No way that changes cuz... whatever mad science they did.” 

James hadn’t been sure about what he was saying until it was out there. But it was true, and James wasn’t going to take it back, even if he could. 

He just held tight to Shepard, not expecting it to be more than just an intimate gesture – pushing for anything more right now... It felt like that would be forcing himself at one of the most vulnerable moments of his lover’s life. 

Of course, just because that was his thought, that didn’t mean it was Shepard’s opinion on the matter. His hands began to drift, from where they’d curled around James to start to slide under James’s shirt.

“Hey, Loco... I’m not asking for-”

“I know,” Shepard murmured softly. “But I want to.” He pulled back, making sure their gazes met. “James... Whatever comes next... I want us to have something to hold on to. Something...” He trailed off, and James could fill in the gap. The fight was going to be massive. It was going to be defining. It was going to be deadly. The odds were against either or both of them making it out alive.

Somehow, that wasn’t a comforting thought in this moment.

Shepard managed to find his voice again. “I want us to have this moment, if we get nothing else. We deserve more, but-”

Now, James silenced Shepard with a kiss, savoring it. If, after this, they had no further opportunity, then he wanted to make sure it was something to remember. He’d make sure that the both of them had this tattooed into their memories. 

And he’d fight to make sure that there were more opportunities.

Shepard peeled off James’s shirt, running his hands over James’s chest. James made a humming sound, a noise almost like a rumble. “Easy there, Loco. Don’t wanna get too revved up too fast, huh?”

“I think we’ve waited a long time for this as it is. Letting it take longer...” Shepard didn’t bother finishing that sentence, instead pulling off his own uniform top.

James had jumped wholly into his attraction to Shepard, despite his minimal history with other men in the past. He could definitely not avoid the reality that this was a man in front of him, and... Yeah, James was ready for this. He wanted this. 

“Okay, Loco.” He grinned. “Let’s dance.”

The rest of their clothes were shed as quickly as possible. And... James drank in the sight of his lover. He surged forward into another kiss, the both of them falling back onto the bed in the process. 

James ended up on top of Shepard, and gently but firmly held him in place. “Hey... Let me take care of you, Loco. Lie back and... I’ll take care of everything.” Granted, his experience wasn’t extensive, but... He’d asked Cortez for a few tips for first timers, and, a few gentle ribbings aside, he’d been able to provide the guidance that you couldn’t get from extranet porn. 

For a second, it looked like Shepard would argue, or at least ask if James was sure about the idea of doing all the work. But he got the meaning of the gesture – James wanted to make sure Shepard understood that this was about him above anything else. 

He began making his way down Shepard’s chest, kissing his way through the light layer of hair on Shepard’s pecs, then down the line of his abs... And there was Shepard’s cock. 

James didn’t have familiarity with the finer details of giving a blowjob, but he knew what he’d always liked, and aimed to offer Shepard the best he could do. Hope for the chance to show his improvement over time.

_We gonna get more time? Is this all we’re gonna have?_

James let out a breath, banishing those thoughts. No matter how much he would later use them as motivation to make it through this goddamn war, right now, they could only be an intrusion. This was his and Shepard’s time, not the Reapers. They’d taken enough, they weren’t going to touch this.

Refocusing on the task before him, James started with teasingly blowing on Shepard’s cock, smirking at the shiver it sent through his lover. 

“James...” Shepard said with a slight chuckle in his voice. “If you’re not careful, this’ll be over without you getting to do much of anything.”

“Would be a shame,” James said with a cheeky grin of his own. Gently, James took in Shepard’s cock, though he found himself keeping his eyes locked on Shepard’s. It was as if he were memorizing every detail of Shepard. 

James developed a steady rhythm, occasionally throwing in a twist of his tongue to get a particularly filthy moan from Shepard. For Shepard’s part, he intermittently ran his fingers through James’s hair, indicating when James was doing very well. James found himself leaning into the touch as well, appreciating how much Shepard was clear about how this was as good for him as it was for James.

And, James would admit – if he weren’t currently occupied with other things – it was pretty damn good for him. 

It was some time before James pulled off, chuckling at the frustration in Shepard’s moan. “Easy, Loco,” he said, moving back up. “We’re not done yet.”

Despite clearly being frustrated at James interrupting himself, Shepard did look interested in that as he pulled James close, enjoying the hiss of pleasure from James as their cocks rubbed together. “And... What did you have in mind?”

It took a moment for James to answer, equally distracted by the feeling of their bodies pressing together. “Wanna ride you, Loco,” he managed to get out. He wanted to feel Shepard inside him, but he’d been determined that this would be him doing the work – allowing Shepard to lay back and let James do everything. 

Because really, who’d ever stepped up and taken care of Shepard? Before the world ended, Shepard deserved that one thing.

They took a few minutes to just touch, to feel one another as they were closer than they’d been. It didn’t take long, though, before James needed to just get Shepard’s cock in him. 

When James finally felt Shepard’s cock slide in... Now it was James who let out the filthy moan, earning a smirk from Shepard. “Like that?” he asked in a soft voice, husky with desire.

A string of Spanish was his response, and it seemed that Shepard took that as an affirmative, because, while James might have meant to do the work himself, his brain did not seem capable of making his body move at the moment. 

It didn’t take either of them long at that point. 

James finally became capable of higher brain functions as he rolled off of Shepard. “God... Shepard, that was...” Okay, maybe not as much higher brain functions as he’d thought. 

A rumble of a laugh. “Yeah.” James was pleased that Shepard was in a similar mental state as he was.

Even as they basked in the afterglow, however, they were both aware of the ticking clock. The arrival at the rally point, the place where all the assembled ships of the galactic powers, every group that Shepard had organized and drawn together, was going to be before too long. They had a little time yet, enough to get a quick nap, freshen up... But they were going to have to go into the final fight.

“Hey, Loco... I’m gonna be by your side, whole way through.” James wouldn’t accept any alternative assignment, and needed to make sure that Shepard understood that.

Shepard smiled. “Wouldn’t expect anything less from you.”

The Reapers would have to kill them to separate them at this point. And James didn’t think they had the balls to pull that off.

**Author's Note:**

> This is effectively where I leave off this series (though it's almost certainly not to be my last M!Shepard/James work). After all, the next step would be the goodbye on Earth, and, really, I'd sooner end on the happier note of "let's go win this thing" than "we who are about to die..." Though if you'd like to imagine my earlier fic "[To Happier Times](https://archiveofourown.org/works/2330615)" acting as a sort of post-war epilogue, well, I certainly won't stop you.
> 
> Thanks to everyone for reading this, particularly given that there was never any kind of set schedule for new installments. You been here, reading what's gone up, waiting patiently for the next installment, and I'm glad everyone got a kick out of me exploring what a romance between our boys could have been like!


End file.
